MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. — The Northern Westchester Hospital staff was handed the keys to a brand new radiology-imaging suite this week, and along with the open door came a large reimbursement check from the state of New York. The check, which amounted to $250,000, was a grant to fund the suite in full.

The suite was a finale of a longtime installment for the hospital says Joel Seligman, the vice chairperson of the hospital’s foundation of trustees.

“We’re finishing what has been seven years of planning and work, to provide this community with a state of the art emergency department,” Seligman said.

Senator Greg Ball was on hand to present the hospital with the check. Once he signed the check, Ball spoke of the need to support hospitals, saying that while they are integral to communities, each community is just as important in return.

“People have to realize that community hospitals like this, if they’re lucky, are operating on a margin of about 1 percent, plus or minus a little bit,” Ball said. “And any hit the wrong direction can put a great community hospital out of business. Joel and his entire team need to be applauded for their leadership.”

The machine is as up to date as can be, according to head of radiology Dr. Peter Khouri. The machine can scan an entire body in 15 seconds, along with making sure the radiation can be reduced if needed.

“I’m proud to say, with this new CT scan, we now can reduce the radiation exposure up to 50 percent, which is FDA validated in comparison to previous CT scans,” Khouri said. “So we can now state that we offer the lowest radiation emitting dose in the entire Westchester County with this scanner.”

Seligman emphasized the need for continued support for the hospital.

“We need friends like this, this kind of support, and we are extremely grateful,” Seligman said. (ARTICLE)